Oh, Simple Thing, Where Have You Gone?
by nowwecansee
Summary: A kid!Klaine fic. Filled with fluff and adorable. I suck at summaries so this is all you're getting.
1. Chapter 1

The sun was absolutely blinding as the minivan pulled into the parking lot; the playground was swarming with children and parents and even a few dogs tethered in the shade by the benches. The small boy in the van had his immaculate hands pressed up against the fingerprint-streaked window, his clear blue eyes roving across the landscape.

"Are they all here for me?" he asked in a reverent voice, and his mother laughed from the front seat.

"Some of them are," she said in a voice that was just like music, only without a tune. The boy loved his mother's voice, and he hoped one day he would speak just like her. "Do you see the kids over by the picnic tables?"

The boy looked past the playground to the covered dining area-a few tables on the end were decorated in balloons and plastic table cloths. There were a few parents milling around, holding gifts in shiny paper.

"Ready to go?" his mother asked in her musical voice as she pulled open the sliding door. "Burt, grab the bags," she added to her husband.

It was Kurt Hummel's seventh birthday, and he was very excited. As soon as his light-up-sneaker-clad feet touched the hot pavement, he took off running, ignoring his mother, who was calling him back for a layer of sunscreen.

He trotted up the the picnic pavilion, past the parents, and sat on his knees at one of the tables, hands folded in front of him and an expectant look on his face.

"Hold your horses, ya silly goose," his mother said, leading his father up to the pavilion. "You need to wait so I can put sunscreen on you."

"But I couldn't wait, Mama!" Kurt explained matter-of-factly. "I was ready to go!"

His mother laughed. "Well you're going to have to wait just a minute more," she said, gently smearing sunscreen onto his pale cheeks. "You have plenty of time to play before cake and presents."

"Okay!" Kurt said, squirming out of his mother's grasp and taking off for the playground.

Kurt made his way over to the jungle gym, where a group of boys were jumping and shouting. A few of his friends were among them, so he though it was okay to join.

"Hi Joey," he said to the nearest boy, who turned his dirt-streaked face to him.

"Hi Kurt," the boy said, fidgeting as if anxious to get back in the game. "Happy birthday!"

"Thank you," Kurt said politely. "What are you playing?"

"Guns and robbers!" a boy screamed as he flew by.

"We're playing guns and robbers," Joey explained.

"Oh," Kurt said. "How do you play?"

"Well you make a gun with your hand like this," Joey said, demonstrating. "And then you run around and rob places!"

Kurt wrinkled his nose. "But robbing is bad!"

"It's fun!" another boy insisted, walking up to them.

"Can't we play something else?" Kurt said, and few of the boys nearest them stopped playing to listen.

"Like what?"

Kurt shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "We could have a tea party!"

"No way," one of the bigger boys said. "That's for girls!"

The other boys tittered.

"Yeah Kurt," Joey said. "That's for girls."

"Maybe you should go play with them!"

Kurt frowned, his eyes stinging a little. "Fine!" he said, and turned away.

"Don't be such a baby!" the bigger boy shouted after him.

"Why do you have to be so mean?" Joey snapped at the boy, but Kurt didn't look back. Instead he walked over to the slide, where a few girls were playing.

"Okay, now I'm the princess!" the one standing on top of the slide was saying. "And you guys are my loyal subjects!"

"Why do you get to be the princess again, Rachel?" one of the girls complained. "That's not fair!" a blond girl was saying, and the rest nodded in agreement.

"Hi," Kurt said. "What are you guys playing?"

None of them answered for a moment, then Rachel answered, "Your name is Kurt, right?"

Kurt nodded. "And you're Rachel. You're in the class across from mine."

Rachel nodded.

"What are you playing?" Kurt asked again, and Rachel opened her mouth to answer, but the blond girl interrupted her, hands on her hips.

"We're playing princesses," she said. "No princes allowed!"

Kurt frowned again. Why was everyone being so mean to him on his birthday?

"I think we should let him play," Rachel said timidly.

"No!" the blond girl shouted. "He's not a princess!"

"But I can pretend!" Kurt cried. "I like to pretend! Sometimes I pretend to be Princess Ariel."

"No boys allowed," the girl insisted. "Now it's my turn to be the princess!" she said as she scrambled to the top of the ladder. Rachel shrugged as she slid her way down, and Kurt was once more rejected.

"Hmph!" he said, turning on his heel and pretending to walk away with dignity, trying to hide the tears in his eyes. The only place left to play was the deserted sandbox, so that's where Kurt headed.

He sat on the edge, his chin in the palm of one hand as he drew shapes in the sand at his feet. He was sniffing and wiping his eyes, willing the sad and hurt feelings to go away, but it was hard. Kids always treated him different, and he didn't know why. His mom said it was because he was special, and that the other kids were jealous, and that Kurt was absolutely perfect the way he was. And even though the other kids were still mean, it was hard not to believe his mother's pretty voice.

Suddenly, the sand in front of Kurt was eclipsed by a shadow. He turned his head to see a small boy with curly dark hair standing in front of him, his mouth stained blue by the Popsicle clasped in his hand. "Hi," he said, climbing into the sandbox and sitting next to Kurt on the edge.

"Hi," Kurt said.

"I'm Blaine," the boy said, and Kurt took a moment to notice how perfect the boys eyes were. They were very pretty, brown and green at the same time. It was a moment before Kurt noticed the boy was holding out his hand (but not the one with the Popsicle).

"I'm Kurt," Kurt said, feeling himself blush a little. Blaine's hands were soft and clean, not like the other boys Kurt knew, who usually had Cheeto dust or dirt under their nails.

"Nice to meet you, Kurt," Blaine said, letting go of his hand. Kurt realized as soon as his name left the boy's mouth that Blaine had a musical voice too, just like his mother. And as soon as Blaine said his name, Kurt felt a strong desire to hear him say it again. "You have pretty eyes."

"What?" Kurt said, blinking his eyes in alarm. "I do?"

"Yeah," Blaine said, sucking his Popsicle. "They're pretty and blue. Like the sky, or the ocean. You have pretty hands too. They're soft."

Kurt looked down at his hands with his pretty ocean eyes. No one had ever told him his anything was pretty before, except his mom and his dad.

"Thanks," Kurt said, feeling his cheeks grow even warmer. "You have pretty eyes too."

"Thanks!" Blaine said, grinning widely. "Do you want a Popsicle?"

"Sure," Kurt said, and Blaine stood up, offering his hand again. Kurt stared at it for a second before grabbing it. It felt sure in his hand as Blaine lead him over to the benches, where a woman with dark curly hair just like Blaine's-only longer-was sitting and chatting with another mom.

"Hi Mom," Blaine said, letting go of Kurt's hand and crouching by a blue bag with a zipper.

"Hi Blaine," the woman said. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Kurt," Blaine said, holding his now-finished Popsicle stick out of the corner of his mouth as he fished through the bag for another one. "He has soft hands, and he said I have pretty eyes."

Blaine's mom looked at Kurt with a warm smile. "It's very nice to meet you, Kurt," she said. "Where are your parents?"

"Over there," Kurt said, pointing to the picnic pavilion.

"Oh, are you here for a party?"

"Oh yeah!" Kurt exclaimed, suddenly remembering. "It's my birthday!"

"Well!" Blaine's mom said. "Happy birthday!"

"Thank you," Kurt said as Blaine stood up.

"Do you want red or purple?"

Kurt thought for a moment. His favorite color was red, so he chose the red one. Blaine handed it to his mom to unwrap.

"Blaine, did you tell Kurt happy birthday?" she said as she handed it back to Kurt.

"Happy birthday!" Blaine said.

"Thank you!" Kurt said, licking his Popsicle. "Do you want to come to my party?"

"Sure! Mom, can I go to Kurt's party?"

Blaine's mom laughed. "Of course you can."

"Come on Kurt, let's go play!" Blaine shrieked, suddenly hyper from his Popsicle.

The boys ended up back at the sandbox.

"What do you want to play?" Kurt asked wearily, waiting for his new friend to say 'guns and robbers'.

"I dunno," Blaine said, kicking his shoes off and digging his feet into the warm sand.

"Why'd you take your shoes off?"

"Because it feels good!" Blaine exclaimed, wiggling his toes. "Like being at the beach, only without the ocean." Kurt stared at him. "Haven't you ever been to the beach before?"

Kurt shook his head and Blaine's jaw dropped.

"No way! Maybe next time we go you can come with us!"

Kurt smiled and nodded eagerly.

They were quiet for a minute as Kurt ate a little more of his Popsicle.

"So what do you want to play?" Blaine asked.

"Um...I don't know," Kurt said. Would Blaine play pretend? Kurt was about to ask when suddenly he heard his Mom calling him.

"Kurt, come on!" she said. "It's time for cake!" Kurt saw his 'friends' run from the playground towards the pavilion.

"Come on, Blaine, let's go!" Kurt said, and this time he was the one to hold out his hand to Blaine.

Blaine took it without hesitation.


	2. Through the Storm

**sjhdskfh short again and it's been so long since I updated I'M SORRY. I've been so busy lately, I promise I'll do better once summer's here :]**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"Mama, this is my new friend Blaine!" Kurt said, leading Blaine up to the picnic table his parents were standing by, carefully arranging plates and presents and cake. "I invited him to my party!"<p>

Kurt's mother turned around, saw their hands, and smiled. Some of the other parents looked on with quizzical expressions and raised eyebrows, but Elizabeth Hummel ignored them as she addressed the two boys in front of her. "Nice to meet you, Blaine," she said. "We're very pleased to have you with us!"

Blaine turned slightly pink, kicking the toe of his shoes into the concrete.

"Okay, who wants to sit next to the birthday boy?" Burt called, clapping his hands once, and the pavilion was suddenly filled with shrieks of "I want to sit next to Kurt!" and "No, I do!", but whether it was because they knew they would be next to receive cake or because they actually wanted to, no one could say for sure.

Kurt was suddenly overwhelmed by the sudden show of affection from his peers; but he hadn't forgotten the incidents on the playground. He looked around at the eager shining faces and turned to his mother. "I want to sit next to Blaine," he said, and climbed up onto the picnic bench. Elizabeth nodded as the other kids took their respective places around the table.

"What kind of cake do you have?" Blaine asked him, admiring the pretty flower print around the edge of the plate in front of him.

"It's a marble cake!" Kurt said excitedly. "It's a swirl of vanilla and chocolate! I like it because it's pretty," he added as his father sat a slice of it in front of him.

"It is pretty!" Blaine exclaimed as he got his own piece, and the two friends dug in, talking more between themselves than partaking in the babbling chatter of the kids surrounding them.

* * *

><p>An hour later, after the party ended and Kurt said good-bye to Blaine, the curly haired boy made his way back to his mother, still sitting by the playground, only now alone and reading a book.<p>

"Hi Blaine," she said, looking up at the sound of his approach. "How was the party?"

"It was fun!" he said as he clambered onto the bench and settled beside her. "We had marble cake and ice cream and I didn't have a present for Kurt but he said it was okay."

Blaine's mom watched her son carefully, a small smile on her face. "You sure seemed to have a lot of fun with Kurt today," she said thoughtfully.

Blaine nodded excitedly. "Yeah, it was really fun! We played pretend in the sandbox and he has soft hands and pretty eyes. Did you seem them, Mom? They were like the ocean!" She nodded, and Blaine continued babbling on. "Kurt said he's never been to the ocean, so I told him he could come with us next time! Do you think he could, Mom? Please?" Blaine asked, looking at his mother with an expression of utmost seriousness.

The woman laughed, petting Blaine's hair. "I'm sure that would be fine, sweetie, but I don't know when we'll be going to the beach again."

Blaine dropped his head, his brow furrowed. But he perked up again at once. "Can we come back to the park tomorrow? Kurt said his mama is bringing him, but not his dad cuz he has to work."

She laughed again. "Of course we can. Now come on, let's go home and get some dinner."

Blaine happily hopped off the bench and trotted towards the parking lot.

* * *

><p>A few weeks passed, and Kurt and Blaine continued to play together almost every day at the park. On a humid day almost two months later, Kurt sat by himself on the end of the tallest metal slide, clutching the plush Flounder from <em>The Little Mermaid<em>. It was one of Kurt's favorite movies, and he liked pretending to be Princess Ariel best, so of course he had needed a Flounder. He'd thought it was a good idea to bring Flounder along when he was still at his house, but now...what if Blaine didn't want to pretend? Or what if Blaine didn't like _The Little Mermaid,_ or what if he made fun of Kurt pretending to be a princess? Sure, the boys had played pretend before, but never as princesses. Or worse, what if Blaine didn't want to play at _all_? Just as he was pondering this, a worn pair of red and blue sneakers stepped into his view. He looked up, and saw Blaine, grinning wide and wearing a Power Rangers t-shirt. Over Blaine's shoulder, Kurt could see his mom and Blaine's mom chatting on a bench.

"Hi Kurt!" Blaine said, pulling Kurt out of his trance.

"Uh, hi Blaine!"

"Whoa, is that Flounder?" Blaine exclaimed, his eyes widening as he caught sight of the stuffed fish in Kurt's hand.

Kurt looked down as if noticing it for the first time. "Yeah," he said, already feeling his nervousness going away. He smiled a little, and scooted over so Blaine could sit next to him on the slide.

"So what do you wanna play?" Blaine asked. The two boys were the only ones on the playground today; the sky was overcast and threatening rain.

"I dunno," Kurt shrugged, turning Flounder over in his hands and making him swim.

"Wanna play _The Little Mermaid_?" Blaine asked sheepishly, and Kurt looked up, a huge grin dominating his face."Okay!"

"Who do you wanna be?"

"Can I be Ariel?" Kurt asked, nervous again. "And you can be Eric because you have hair like him."

Blaine mulled this over for a moment. "Okay!" he said after a minute, and hopped off the slide.

They had just started towards the sandbox=-"You need sand if you're gonna be at the ocean," Blaine had reasoned-when Kurt was smacked by a huge raindrop. "Ow!" he said in surprise. Plus, it had actually kind of hurt.

Suddenly, a clap of thunder boomed overhead, making the boys jump, and the mothers were calling them back.

"Kurt!" Elizabeth was saying. "Boys, come back!"

"We've been talking, and we decided it's a bad day for the park."

"So I'm going to bring you both back to our house," Elizabeth said, "And you can play there for a while."

"Is that okay?" Mrs. Anderson asked, and the boys nodded enthusiastically. "Okay then," she said with a laugh. "We'd better hurry up before this storm really starts."

* * *

><p>"I'm going to make you boys some lunch, okay?" Mrs. Hummel said, opening the front door and letting the drenched children run inside. "Blaine, is grilled cheese okay?"<p>

Blaine nodded, his unruly curls plastered to his forehead, and Kurt said, "Come on, Blaine, let's go play in my room!"

Kurt lead him up the stairs and into his bedroom. It was painted light blue and immaculately clean; his shoes were lined up by the door, and his bed was made so crisply, you probably could have bounced a quarter on it.

"Wow," Blaine marveled, following Kurt's lead and placing his shoes by the door. "Your room is nice."

"Thanks!" Kurt said, scrambling to sit on his bed. "Every morning I make my bed and every night I stack my shoes."

"Why?" Blaine asked, opting for a seat on the floor.

Kurt shrugged. "My mama's room is clean, and I like my mama's room."

Blaine nodded; this seemed to be a good enough reason for him. "Can we play Little Mermaid now?"

"Of course!" Kurt exclaimed, sliding off his bed. "My bed can be the ship!"

"Okay," Blaine said, taking Kurt's place, taking care not to mess up the covers too much.

The two boys played out the story in detail-singing the songs, quoting the dialogue, imitating the motions...right up until the wedding scene, at the very end.

"Now they're married," Kurt said, hopping up onto the bed next to Blaine. "And now they have to..." Kurt trailed off as the thought entered his mind. They had to kiss, there was no way around it. It was a wedding, after all, and they were Ariel and Eric. It only made sense.

But Blaine was a boy. And so was Kurt, obviously, and Kurt had never really seen two boys kiss. Was that allowed? He looked at Blaine, who seemed to be facing the same internal dilemma. Sure, Blaine was the nicest boy he'd ever met, and he had pretty eyes, but...Kurt had never really thought about kissing before, and to be frank, it kind of grossed him out, like most kids his age...but these were thoughts that would have to be considered later, because Blaine seemed to have come to a decision and was now staring at him expectantly, leaning forward on his palms.

"I guess-" Kurt started to say, but his door was pushed open. His mother was standing there. "Lunch is ready," she said. "You guys can eat it in the living room and watch a movie if you want."

Blaine nodded, his cheeks slightly red, and Kurt knew his were too, so the two boys slid off the bed and followed Kurt's mom down the stairs.

* * *

><p>They ended up sitting side-by-side on the sofa, grilled chesses in laps, watching Mulan. They impressed each other by knowing the words to all the songs, and the awkward moment from earlier was completely forgotten.<p>

About halfway through the movie, Kurt's mom came in wearing her rain jacket and an irritated expression.

"Okay, boys, I have to run over to Mrs. Wilson's for just a minute," she said. Mrs. Wilson was their next door neighbor, and she was quite...senile. "She locked herself in her bedroom and can't get out. I'll only be gone a minute, and I'll be right next door, okay? Kurt, you know how to reach me if you need anything. But I'll only be gone a minute," she reminded them, and hurried out.

All was well in the next few minutes. Then, the thunder that had been rumbling outside all afternoon suddenly boomed, shaking the house and making Kurt cry out, and the house went dark.

"Blaine?" Kurt cried out, pushing his hands out and searching for his friend. Kurt hated thunderstorms, and now the power was out and his mom was gone and he was afraid.

"I'm right here, Kurt, are you okay?" Blaine said calmly beside him. Kurt felt Blaine's smooth hand slide into is own.

"I'm scared," Kurt said, his voice quivering. "I don't like thunderstorms."

"Me either," Blaine whispered, scooting closer so their legs were touching.

"I wish my mama was here," Kurt said, trying not to cry in front of Blaine. "She always makes me feel better when I'm afraid of the thunder."

"What does she do?" Blaine asked, and Kurt's eyes had adjusted to the point where he could see Blaine's outline in the pitch blackness.

Kurt thought for a moment. "Sometimes she sings. And she gives me a big hug."

"I can do that," Blaine said, scooting even closer and encircling Kurt in his thin arms. "What do you want me to sing?"

"You don't have to sing," Kurt said. "You give good hugs."

"Thanks!" Blaine said. "I learned from my mama. She gives the best hugs, especially when I'm sad."

Kurt snuggled closer without meaning too. "Thank you, Blaine."

"That's what friends are for, right? And I think you're my best friend."

"What?" Kurt said, looking up at him.

Blaine shrugged. "None of my other friends like to play like you do. Plus you're nice to me, and you like Disney movies, and you like to play The Little Mermaid. And you have pretty eyes.

Kurt didn't really know what to say. He'd never had a best friend before; he'd never had a friend like _Blaine_ before. "I think you're my best friend too," Kurt said, and he saw Blaine grin in the dark.

"Kurt?" The front door banged open and Mrs. Hummel ran, soaking wet, into the living room. "Boys, are you okay? I'm so sorry!"

"We're okay, Mama," Kurt said, and he felt his heart sink as Blaine moved his arms away.

"Hold on, boys, I'm going to get a flashlight," she said, and they heard her walk into the kitchen.

"I'm glad you're my best friend," Blaine whispered, and suddenly, Kurt wasn't afraid anymore.


	3. I Promise

**Okay, okay, I know, I'm a horrible, terrible, awful, dreadful person! It's been ages since I've updated...I wrote the beginning of this chapter a while ago, and then wrote the last 3/4 today...on two hours of sleep (Harry Potter wh-hoo!), so I hope it doesn't suck. And I know it's short, but I figured something was better than nothing? I promise (heheh) I'll try to do better! I love you all! Please don't hate me!**

* * *

><p>A few hours later, once Blaine's mom had come to pick him up, Kurt trotted into his mother's room to find her folding clothes. He stood in the doorway for a moment before she looked up. "Yes?"<p>

"Mama, can I ask you something?"

"Of course," she said, setting down the half-folded towel and patting a spot on the bed next to her. "You can always ask me anything."

"Okay," Kurt said, and pulled himself up to sit next to his mother. He was quiet for a moment, thinking; she didn't rush him. "Why do you like kissing Daddy?"

If Elizabeth was surprised, she didn't show it. The only noticeable change on her elegant face was the slightest rise of her eyebrows. "Well..." she thought for a moment. "It's because I love him."

"But_ why_ do you like kissing him?"

Elizabeth thought for another moment. "Well...because...kissing is a way to show someone that you love them, besides just telling them. It's special, especially when the two people _actually_ love each other. Like when I kiss Daddy, or when I kiss you."

Kurt mulled this over for a moment. "So...if you love someone...you should kiss them?"

"Well, not all the time," Elizabeth said. "But you should always make sure that a person knows you love them, whether it's by a kiss or by saying it."

"How do you know which one to do?"

"Sometimes it's hard to know, but you just have to listen to what your heart tells you."

"Mama, what if_ I_ wanted to kiss someone?"

Elizabeth surveyed her son seriously for a moment. "Well, I'd say that if you think it's the right thing to do, then it's okay. But," she added, "I think you're a little young for kissing at the moment."

Kurt nodded slowly, taking in the information. "Mama, can I ask you something else?"

"Of course you can, honey."

"What if I wanted to kiss Blaine?"

Elizabeth opened her mouth and hesitated. She shut it, thinking. After a moment, she looked at Kurt seriously and said, "Kurt, you listen to me right now, okay? It doesn't matter who you want to kiss, or who you love. All that matters is that you_ do_ love, Kurt, and that you love them. It doesn't matter what anyone else says or thinks or does, Kurt. All that matters is you and the person you love, whomever that may be."

Kurt blinked at her, and she laughed. "That was a little heavy, I'm sorry. What I'm trying to say is that it's okay if you want to kiss Blaine, honey, and it's okay if you love him." She ran her hand over his hair once. "But I meant what I said earlier; you're a little young to be thinking about kissing _or_ about love."

Kurt wrinkled his nose. "Kissing is gross."

"It won't always seem that way," Elizabeth said, laughing again."Is there anything else you wanted to ask me?"

Kurt thought for a moment. "When will I be old enough for kissing?"

Elizabeth looked at her son thoughtfully. "Probably not any time soon...but when you're ready, you'll know."

Kurt sat in silence for a while before nodding slowly. "Okay," was all he said before sliding off the bed and going back to his room.

* * *

><p>A few weeks later came the start of the new school year. Kurt was going to be in the second grade, and so was Blaine. It was Blaine's first day at this school, because he'd moved to Lima at the beginning of the summer. The night before their first day, Blaine had come over to play at Kurt's house.<p>

"Are the kids at your school nice?" Blaine asked timidly as they lay side-by-side on the navy blue bed. That was one thing Kurt liked about Blaine: he didn't always need to be moving or playing or screaming. Sometimes he liked to be still and quiet and talk, just like Kurt did.

"Sometimes," Kurt replied. "But sometimes they can be mean."

Blaine frowned at the ceiling, his brow furrowed. "But..._you_ won't be mean, right?"

"Of course not!" Kurt said. "You're my best friend, and I would never be mean to you."

Blaine sat up and looked at him seriously. "Promise?" he said, holding out his pinky finger.

Kurt stared at it for a second before nodding resolutely. "Promise."

They linked pinkies and shook.

* * *

><p>The first day of school was always important to Kurt. It was a day of first impressions, and it set a tone for how the rest of year would play out.<p>

And this year, Kurt had a best friend. That was already a pretty good start.

Their parents had decided that Kurt and Blaine's mothers would alternate carpool duties every three weeks, but for the first day, the boys were riding with their respective mothers alone.

"Are you excited for your first day, Blaine?" Mrs. Anderson asked her son as they pulled out of the driveway.

Blaine nodded, a little uncertain.

His mother looked at him over her shoulder, sensing his hesitation. "It's okay to be nervous, hon."

Blaine shrugged."What if the other kids don't like me?"

"I'm sure they will," she replied matter-of-factly, "and anyway, you'll always have Kurt."

Blaine smiled to himself. "Yeah."

* * *

><p>Kurt was the first person to enter the classroom-besides the teacher, of course, who instructed him to find the desk with his name on it. He walked between the rows of desks, among the nametags emblazoned with flowers and bumblebees and footballs, finally finding his own, somewhere in the middle and decorated with a cat face. He wrinkled his nose; it was better than a football, at least.<p>

After he set his backpack down and lined his pencils up nice and neat, he set off looking for Blaine's desk, and after a moment, he found it, decorated with a puppy dog, the first desk in the first row...very, _very_ far away from Kurt.

"Is something wrong?" the teacher, Ms. Kimmel, said.

"Not really," Kurt said. "But Blaine is my best friend and he sits way over here."

"Yes," Ms. Kimmel said, looking over at the door as more children came in. "The desks are arranged alphabetically; this way everyone can make new friends!" she said enthusiastically before hurrying over to greet the new kids.

Kurt frowned. He still wanted to sit next to Blaine, but he kept quiet and returned to his seat.

A few minutes later, Blaine appeared in the doorway, his dark curls carefully brushed to one side and looking nervous. He scanned the half-full room for a moment before spotting Kurt and making a beeline for him.

"Hi Kurt!" he said excitedly, paying no mind to the nametags as he slid into the chair next to Kurt. Kurt opened his mouth to point out Blaine's mistake, but was cut short by a burly boy-Kurt remembered him from his birthday, Dave, maybe?-came up and shoved Blaine roughly to the ground. Blaine looked up at him, his brown eyes wide with a mixture of fear and shock-who _was_ this kid, and why was he being so _mean_?

"You're in my seat," Dave said, sitting down and shoving his backpack under the desk.

Blaine just stayed sprawled on the ground, looking open-mouthed back and forth from Dave to Kurt, who just stared at the floor and fingered the blue plaid bowtie around his neck. After a moment, he stood up, brushed himself off, and dragged his bag to the front of the room.

"Okay, class!" Ms. Kimmel said, clapping her hands once and grinning around at all of them. She was pretty, and young, with straight brown hair and bright green eyes. "I'm very pleased to meet you all, and I think we'll all be great friends! Now, I see you've all brought your things to your desks, so now I'd like you to take your bags to the cubbies in the back..." she gestured with a slender hand, and seventeen heads turned to look. "They all have nametags that match your desks."

There was a surge of noise as all of the students rushed to be first in line at the row of cubbies; Kurt hung back, finally stuffing his Lady and the Tramp backpack in between Dave and a girl named Delilah's cubbies.

The rest of the day was painfully boring, at least to Kurt. They played lots of get-to-know-you games and learned the rules of the classroom, and Kurt evaluated a handful of his classmates.

He already knew Blaine, of course, and sort of the girl next to him, Rachel. She was very attention-y and always volunteered to go first in the games.

And then there was Dave, the mean boy from the park on Kurt's birthday. He didn't really do much besides pushing Blaine down that morning, but that was enough to show what kind of kid he was.

Blaine didn't say much to Kurt for the rest of the day, and kept his eyes pointed to the floor. At recess, he raced out of the room before Kurt could even stand up, and huddled under the jungle gym, criss-cross-apple-sauce and face in one palm.

Kurt lingered by the swings for a minute, watching Blaine sit under the playset alone, drawing shapes in the sand with the tip of one finger. He finally worked up the courage to walk over to his friend.

"Hi Blaine," Kurt said, hooking his legs over the bottom bar and his arms around the next one up, his feet dangling a few inches from the ground.

"H'lo," Blaine said sullenly, not looking up.

They were silent for a minute, and then-

"Blaine?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you...mad at me?"

Blaine stopped drawing; he looked up at Kurt, squinting in the sunlight.

"No..." he said honestly, then hesitated. "But why did you let that boy push me down?"

Now it was Kurt's turn to look at the ground; he shrugged, ashamed. "I dunno," Kurt said. "'Cause he's bigger than me. And he's been mean to me a lot. And I was afraid he'd be mean to me again."

Blaine's expression softened. "You were afraid?"

Kurt shrugged. "A little."

"Oh," Blaine said, scooting a little closer. "I didn't know you were afraid. I was afraid too."

Kurt gave his friend an odd expression, remembering that day of the storm, when they were afraid together in the dark. He remembered what Blaine had done for him, so without a word, he slipped through the bars and kneeled beside his friend, wrapping his thin arms around the boy and hugging him.

"Don't be afraid, Blaine," he whispered. "We can be brave together."

* * *

><p>By Christmas of that year, Kurt and Blaine had grown even closer. They'd celebrated Blaine's birthday together, just the two of them, with a sleepover and a Disney party under a blanket fort in Kurt's living room. They didn't play at Blaine's much; his parents were sort of strict.<p>

For Halloween, they were a dog (Blaine) and a cat (Kurt). Kurt carried a tin for Unicef instead of a bag for candy, so Blaine gave him half of his haul. They made matching handprint turkeys for Thanksgiving at school, and made plans to spend the night tons over Christmas break, and the day before Christmas Eve was one of those days.

On the 24th, Blaine was going to California with his parents to visit his grandparents, and he wouldn't be back until January 3rd-the day before they went back to school.

"I dunno what I'm gonna do without you for ten whole days," Kurt said that night as they lay in bed. Ten days was the longest they'd spent apart since...well...ever, really.

Blaine shrugged. "It won't be so bad, Kurt." he moved his hand under the blankets, searching for Kurt's; he found it and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "It's only a coupla days."

Kurt nodded, and they fell asleep in silence.

* * *

><p>Two days after Christmas, though, Blaine called Kurt's house.<p>

"Um, Kurt?" Blaine said timidly. "Can I...can I come over today? My...my dad is scaring me."

"Why?" Kurt asked sharply; even though he was only seven, he knew that being afraid of your parents was something serious. Mostly from watching those scary after school specials when his parents weren't home, but also because he was practically the only kid who'd paid attention when the woman from the local women and children's home came to speak about domestic violence.

But, oh yeah, Blaine.

"I'll tell you later, okay?" Blaine said, suddenly sounding very young and very small on the other end of the line. "My Mama's bringing me over now, okay?"

"Okay," Kurt said, and hung up the phone, running to tell his own mother.

* * *

><p>Blaine came into the Hummel house and headed straight for Kurt's bedroom, and Kurt followed silently, leaving their mothers to chat.<p>

Blaine sat on Kurt's bed, staring at the floor with a furrowed brow. Kurt watched, wanted Blaine to speak when he was ready. And after a minute, he way.

"Kurt, do you know what _gay_ means?"

Kurt blinked, mulling it over. He thought he'd heard the word before, maybe...and then, yes! In_ West Side Story_, Maria feels _pretty_ and _witty_ and _gay_! "Yes!" Kurt said. "It means happy, right?"

Blaine nodded, still looking confused. "But I think it means something else, too. Something bad. My Dad says we had to come home early 'cause my uncle's gay."

"Oh," was all Kurt could think to say.

"He seemed pretty happy," Blaine continued thoughtfully. "We were at my gramma and grampa's house, and my uncle was there, but not my Aunt Shelly. My Mama says they got a divorce."

Kurt nodded. He knew tons of kids whose parents got divorces.

"But my uncle had a friend there," Blaine said. "A nice man named Nick. He gave me candy." Blaine fell silent for a moment. "And then after dinner Uncle Jack and Nick took Mama and Dad and gramma and grampa back into the kitchen and then they started screaming, and my Dad made us leave." Blaine looked up at Kurt with big owl eyes. "He said it was 'cause Uncle Jack was gay."

And then it happened: something stirred in the back of Kurt's mind, something about gay...marriage? But what it was exactly, Kurt couldn't be sure.


End file.
